From the Edge: Access literary treasures

I love books - the escape into other worlds, delving into minute details on a myriad of subjects and even the smell of ink and binding glue... I can't help be impressed by the British Library's news of a Smartphone app that allows access to world literary treasures via mobile devices and iPad.

Treasure!

I love books - the escape into other worlds, delving into minute details on a myriad of subjects and even the smell of ink and binding glue… I can't help be impressed by the British Library's news of a Smartphone app that allows access to world literary treasures via mobile devices and iPad.

Here's a taste of what can be accessed:

The first edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

The world's oldest bible Codex Sinaiticus

Nelson's Battle Plan

Galileo's letters

Da Vinci's notebooks

The Gutenberg Bible

Charles Dicken's handwritten draft of Nicholas Nickleby

Jane Austen's teenage writings

2,000-year old Oracle Bones from China

An original Magna Carta of 1215

Hand-written lyrics by The Beatles

The app was created in conjunction with Toura. The selections available are from the Library's Sir Jon Ritblat Treasures Gallery. Video, manuscripts, notebooks and letters are all available for download.

So, what would you pay for this? For a mere $3.99 for iPhone, iPon Touch, in the iTunes App Store and Android Marketplace. An HD version costs $5.99. Right now, there's an introductory price of $1.99 for iPhone, iPod Touch and Android smartphones, and $3.99 for iPad until January 24, so hurry!

Find more info at http://a.toura.com/3091 and let me know what you think!